


Mother Knows Best

by Sr_Cupcake



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Amity Clawthorne AU, But Particularly Mrs.Blight, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lilith Is Amity’s Mom AU, Not Beta Read, The Blights Are Terrible, not sure what else to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26420620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sr_Cupcake/pseuds/Sr_Cupcake
Summary: Amity’s mother just wants what’s best for her daughter.-Or the one where Amity is a Clawthorne as well as a Blight and Mrs. Blight doesn’t  handle it well at all cuz she’s trash-Or the one where Lilith is Amity’s mom. Literally.{Crossposted on FFN under the same name}
Relationships: Amity Blight & Lilith Clawthorne
Comments: 12
Kudos: 144





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Blessed with Beauty and Rage](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26176570) by [MelisandreStark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelisandreStark/pseuds/MelisandreStark). 



> Just a little one shot for an AU idea that piqued my interest.  
> Might expand this universe but there’s no guarantee.
> 
> Please check out the story that inspired this. My take on the AU was different but it’s still worth a read if you liked this story...also worth a read if you didn’t like this too I guess

The Blight family matriarch hadn’t wanted a third child. 

In all honesty she hadn’t been particularly fond of the idea of having children period. After all, children were messy, loud, and quite frankly Odalia Blight found the prospect of having to give birth down right grotesque but _‘needs must_ ’ as they say. As the head of the House of Blight it was her duty to ensure her family’s future. Odalia needed to have children but no more than two; the heir and the spare. It had been a stroke of excellent luck when she’d gotten both on her first try. 

Giving birth to multiples was common in the Blight family but the birth of twins was still considered an auspicious event, doubly so if it was a boy and a girl. According to the stories passed down from one generation of Blights to the next, the family had been founded by one such set of twins. And so from the moment they were born, Emira, her beautiful princess and Edric, her blessed prince, became her pride and joy. 

They took more after her then they did her husband, a fact that she took great pleasure in. She cared for the man she married certainly, but it had taken Alador until manhood to grow into his features. She didn’t think she could’ve stomached having an ugly baby. The twins only flaw was the unfortunate beauty mark that marred their otherwise unblemished skin. It was a small thing though, something she was more than willing to overlook. Nothing a bit of illusion magic couldn’t fix after all.

_Odalia Blight loved beautiful things. Was that so wrong?_

Her children were beautiful and healthy and that was all that mattered. They would be fine members of society one day, the very pinnacle of what a witch should be thanks to her guidance. She would teach them just as her father had taught her. She’d fill them with pride for their family as witchlings, rocking them to sleep with the tales of Maelor and Meinir—the twins that started it all. And as they grew she would continue to tell them the stories of others that came before them so they knew what they could accomplish. So that they knew what she _expected_ them to accomplish. Blights don’t come in second. Blights have never come in second.

_She wanted her children to succeed. Isn’t that what all mothers want?_

She had it all planned out. Amity was nowhere in that plan. 

No mother should ever call her child a disappointment but to call Amity otherwise would be a lie. From the moment Odalia laid eyes on her she felt nothing but a deep and profound disappointment because it was plain to see that her youngest was _not_ a proper Blight. 

_‘Maelor and Meinir. Meinir and Maelor._

_With their crowns of mistletoe they went off to war…’_

The hair was her first clue; a blemish of bronze in a sea of greens. Lots of the old families on the Isle had physical traits that set them apart. From generation to generation, from the color of the mistletoe to that of a precious jade stone, one could always tell a Blight by the green in their hair. That was how it had always been. 

Until it wasn’t.

Odalia had been positively dismayed when she’d laid eyes on her youngest’s hair. It was so terribly bright when she was first born it was almost unsightly against her gorgeous green sea. She thanked the Titan everyday that the color had mellowed as Amity got older, resting on a shade akin to bronze. Randolph’s hair was dark. Brown though it was, it was nowhere near the odd sort of reddish brown the girl had ended up with. But mother’s make do.

The elder Blight kept no pictures of Amity as a baby for the world to scrutinize. And once the ridiculous red hue had gone down some and she'd reached a suitable age Odalia was quick to encourage that she dye it: “ **How about a nice mint green sweetheart? It’s such a pretty color and you’d be making mommy so happy. You’ll look just like your brother and sister, won’t that be nice!”**

_Everyone likes beautiful things. No one likes ugly things that don’t belong_

The witch supposed she should’ve considered herself lucky. The girl could’ve just as easily ended up a full blown redhead, with a wild mop of hair and the blue eyes to go with it. But hair wasn’t the only thing wrong with Amity, it ran deeper than that. 

Whenever Odalia found Amity to be too soft or too stubborn for her liking (which wasn’t uncommon) or just plain _lacking_ (which was often), she had to remind herself that it wasn’t all the girl’s fault. It was a matter of blood, poor thing couldn’t help it. 

_Love affair is not the term she’d use to describe what had taken place. There was no love involved. Power and beauty were two things the Blight witch found terribly attractive. Lilith Clawthorne just so happened to have both in spades. Furthermore, an affair can not possibly be considered an affair if your husband knows about it._

A lesser person might’ve let things be—too weak to deal with the problem. But Odalia Blight was no such person. She knew that the best diamonds had to be formed under the greatest pressure.

“ **Blights don’t slouch!”**

“ **Really Amity, you're six years old now, much too old to be afraid of the dark.”**

 **“Speak up, Blights don’t mumble**.”

**“Blights don’t talk back!”**

“ **Stop crying, Blights don’t cry. Now hurry back to your party before you embarrass yourself.”**

“ **You’re still using that training wand? You know your brother and sister never needed those when they were your age.”**

Children don’t know what’s best for them. It was up to the parent to show them the way. No matter how much they complained, no matter how they struggled, it was the parent’s job to hold the line.

Not all men are created equal. Everyone is different, with their own strengths and shortcomings. To that end not all children are created equal, different children require different things. Just because Emira and Edric didn’t require this much attention didn’t mean Cordelia would shy away from doing so for her youngest. 

_Good mothers give their children what they need. To do otherwise would be neglectful._

Sometimes Amity needed more than just words to teach her how to behave, Odalia responded accordingly. She wasn’t cruel; she was only trying to teach her daughter a lesson after all. It was a correction—a teaching tool used only when necessary and never with a closed fist. 

“ **Oh honey, please don’t be upset. I’m only tough on you because I know you can do better, because I love you. You know that don’t you?...”**

Parenthood wasn’t meant to be easy but things could’ve been a lot simpler. 

In another life Odalia might’ve been able to come to some sort of arrangement with the eldest Clawthorne, one where they could have taken part in their daughter’s upbringing together. In another life Lilith might’ve been allowed to remember exactly what Amity was to her. But some things just aren’t meant to be and it wasn’t her place to question the emperor’s wishes...

Odalia Blight hadn’t wanted a third child but she had one. Regardless of whether she’d planned for it or not, she was Amity’s mother and she intended to shoulder that responsibility. Amity wasn’t a proper Blight, she wasn’t like her prince and princess. But mothers are teachers, they don’t give up on their children. 

Like a sculptor giving life to a beautiful work of art she would chip away at her daughter’s imperfections until what was left was an impeccable masterpiece. No matter how much work it took she would bring out the best in her child because that’s what mothers do.

-

_Mother knows best...Doesn’t she?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the twins met Mittens and then some

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the Blight parents' names to their canon ones. Since I only had one chapter out with their other names before the canon ones were revealed I figured y'all wouldn't mind. Chapter 1 has also been edited to reflect this.

The twins don't remember the day they first met their little sister. With less than three years difference between them it was a given that the memories of those early days were few and far between. But Alador remembered.

Even before they'd met each other, the pair had been less than thrilled at the news they'd be getting a new sibling.

"Why?" They cried. "We don't want a new baby! We don't want it!" In those days Emira and Edric had the habit of speaking in unison and completing each other sentences. Alador found the practice charming, adorable even, and lamented how they would grow out of the little quirk in the years to come.

"Now don't be like that," Alador began, fishing for the right thing to say, "Won't it be fun to have a new friend to play with?"

"No, no, no!" they vehemently denied. The new baby would _not_ be their new friend; they were each other's friend. They didn't want the new baby. They _hated_ the new baby!

The twin's golden eyes had begun to fill with tears, and again Alador wished he knew the words necessary to stave off the impending meltdown. But he was at a loss. He was an only child, he hadn't the slightest idea how to deal with this particular form of jealousy. The children's mother would've been able to empathize better, but unfortunately for everyone involved, Alador had been sent to break the news to them alone.

The remainder of the exchange was, in a word, a failure; a fact that quite frankly frustrated him to no end. Alador Blight was well known for his talent as an orator. He knew how to infuse his words with just the right amount of passion and zeal to captivate an audience. He knew how to pull the opposing side in, how to twist their words while simultaneously bolstering his position. He knew what to say and when to say it to make an opponent see reason, to see things his way.

But you can't expect two year olds to listen to reason.

Slaves to their emotions, it doesn't matter how well you argue your position or how much evidence you have. They're right and you're wrong and that's that. It was all so... _frustrating._ What was the point of even _attempting_ a conversation if he already knew it was going to be so one-sided?

The tantrum was in full swing now. Edric and Emira's tiny fists were beating furiously against his legs and yanking on his robes as fat tears rolled down their faces. "No Papa, no baby, no baby!" They repeated the mantra over and over, their wailing becoming shriller and shriller by the second. Alador couldn't stand it.

Children were frustrating. Pointless emotions were frustrating. This whole _situation_ was frustrating…!

In a flash Alador delivered swift blows to the twins backsides. "Enough! Blights do not behave this way. Do I make myself clear?" Rather than give him an answer the children started on another chorus of cries, the hyperventilating kind that kids do where they can only get one or two words out before they had to take in big gulps of air. It earned them another spanking.

"We're sorry Papa," they said through sniffles, "we're sorry."

"That's better." Aldor replied sternly before crouching down to their level and wiping their tears with a handkerchief he'd magicked up. "Papa doesn't like having to do that to you, but you two were being very naughty. You understand?"

Emira nodded, still sniffling. "Eddy and me are sorry Papa."

"Eddy and _I,_ darling," he corrected, "Eddy and I."

"Me and Emmy will be good Papa," replied Edric, clutching his sister's hand tight. "We'll be good, we promise." They finished together.

Alador chuckled lightly. "Thank you. That makes Papa very happy."

The twins smiled brightly then. "Will you send it back now?" Went Edric.

"Send what back?" Alador asked, at once confused.

"The baby, Papa!" Went Emira, still all smiles.

"What on earth are you two talking about?"

"You don't need the baby anymore Papa, you can send it back now!" They said.

The act of facepalming wasn't considered dignified for someone of his status but Alador couldn't help himself. And here he was thinking they'd actually made progress. Just how does one go about explaining that a baby isn't something you can just 'send back' like an appetizer at a restaurant.

"No," he sighed, "no I can't send the baby back."

"But-but why!?" More tears.

_So frustrating, so goddamn frustrating. There's no point in explaining if they won't understand_

"Because I said so. Now stop this right now or Papa's going to be very upset!" The twins flinched at his words but they didn't stop.

"But papa!"

Alador liked children, really he did. He just hated how... _unreasonable_ they could be. "I mean it you two!"

Again the pair flinched but still they stood their ground. "It's not fair!" Emira said with it a defiant stomp of her foot.

The young father had to fight the urge to rub his temples. "What's not fair Emira darling?"

"The baby, the baby's not fair!"

_Pointless, unreasonable, incomprehensible…!_

" _What?_ " Alador was fairly certain he felt the beginnings of a migraine coming on.

"Yeah it's not fair." Edric agreed, stomping his own foot for emphasis. "We're good so mama doesn't need a new baby."

Alador blinked.

"Tell mama we'll be good. Tell her she doesn't need a new baby. _We're_ her baby!" They bellowed together.

Finally Aldor felt he understood the problem.

Odalia was always quick to shower the twins with affection. Every small thing they did she praised. Everything they accomplished—which honestly wasn't that much in their short two years—she lorded over the other mothers in full view of the pair. In her eyes no child could compare, no child could ever be so perfect as Emira and Edric. Now Alador couldn't possibly fault his wife for loving their children the way she did, but he could see how it might've skewed the twin's thinking in this situation with their childish ignorance.

People get a new version of something when they want to replace the old one. The new baby was meant to replace them. But something that was perfect couldn't possibly need replacing. Something their mother loved so much couldn't possibly need replacing.

Unless they were no longer perfect, unless their mother didn't love them anymore.

"Don't be ridiculous, your mother loves you two very much. The new baby doesn't change that."

Emira and Edric are stubborn though, as children are prone to being, and don't believe him.

_So goddamn frustrating, pointless and so_ _ **goddamn**_ _frustrating!_

They cry and Alador doesn't know what to do. After all, what can he say that he hasn't already said. He simply leaves them there to comfort each other.

He doesn't mean to slam the children's door on the way out but he does.

* * *

The days leading up to Amity's arrival in the Blight Household are tumultuous.

Odalia is on edge and the children notice—not that she made much of an effort to hide it from them anyway.

One night, well into the time Emira and Edric are meant to be asleep, Odalia was raging, her voice becoming louder and more hysterical with every word.

"She had the audacity to try and go against the emperor's wishes! I mean honestly who does Lilith think she is, doesn't she realize how dangerous that is, how dangerous it could've been!

Alador had learned years ago that it was best to leave Odalia alone when she got like this. She was looking for release not input. So rather than try and soothe her he simply "uh-huh"'d at appropriate intervals in between diatribes.

"How stupid can one person be! She couldn't seriously think that it would all turn out okay, that she could just _run_ to that stupid sister of her's and that would make everything all right!

Odalia threw her hands up in indignation. " _Of course_ the emperor found out! _Of course_ he stopped her! How could _anyone_ in their right mind even _entertain_ the idea that they could get away with—Get back to bed this instant!"

Alador stole a lazy glance behind him. Emira and Edric were scrambling out of the doorway in a poor attempt to hide their eavesdropping. "I'll get them."

With one twin on each hip as he made his way up the manor's grand staircase he heard the pair grumble to each other.

"Mama yelled at us. Mama never yells at us. It's all that stupid baby's fault, stupid baby."

Alador didn't bother trying to correct them.

Later when Amity's arrived safely at home, Alador doesn't have very high hopes for the impending first meeting. So much so that both he and Odalia try to stall the event as long as possible by hiding out in their room with the babe.

"Well the little thing certainly looks like you." He says conversationally.

"Yes I suppose," Odalia admits with a sigh. "All though she certainly could stand to look a lot _more_ like me."

"I thought you liked red hair?" He joked

"Don't start with me Alador Blight," his wife quips back. The baby starts to squirm and cry in her grasp and Odalia let's out a low soothing purr from deep in her chest that calms the child at once.

Alador liked babies. He certainly didn't look the type but he did. Their serene little faces, their tiny little hands and down-soft hair. He held out his arms to take the child, Odalia obliged.

"It could be worse," Alador commented quietly as he swayed in place. "Imagine how much harder things would be if she'd been born with blue eyes as well." He ran a finger over the little bit of hair that peaked out from the little one's tiny hat. It really was a lovely color. How unfortunate. "Have you decided what to call her?"

"Amity."

Alador quirked an eyebrow. Amity was by no means a terrible name but it didn't quite fit with the theme Odalia had put in place with Emira and Edric.

"It's what Lilith wanted to name her," Odalia explained pushing a rogue lock of green hair behind her ear. "I thought it was...appropriate."

To anyone else his wife's tone would have appeared the picture of nonchalance but Alador knew better. It was easy for him to pick up on the emotions she'd left unsaid.

"Hello Amity Blight," he greeted softly before releasing his own rumbling purr. Odalia looked at them fondly, clearly pleased at the obvious sign of acceptance.

They stayed like that for a while, with nothing but the crackle of the fireplace and Alador occasionally joking that if worse came to worse they could always fabricate a painting of some long-lost redhead ancestor for the portrait room.

Eventually they had to let the twins in, the adults could already hear them trying to be quiet as they listened outside the door. Alador was pleased when the pair didn't bolt into the room as soon as he opened the door—as they were prone to doing. Instead they walked in tentatively, looking lost and unsure. They hid behind his legs and Odalia had to coax them out.

"There's no reason to be afraid. Come and say hello."

They approached slowly before climbing up onto the bed next to their mother. They didn't say anything; a bad sign in children who were normally so exuberant.

"Emira, Edric don't you want to say hello to mama's new baby?"

They shook their heads stubbornly in unison, refusing to even look at the bundle in their mother's arms.

"Please, just one teeny-tiny hello? You'd be making mama _so_ happy."

Those were the proverbial magic words. Begrudgingly the twins lifted their gazes up just enough to look at their new sibling. Almost instantly their eyes lit up with curiosity. Odalia couldn't help the self-satisfied smile that graced her lips.

"It's so small." Edric squawks in astonishment.

"Like a doll," Emira remarks. "Is it a doll?"

"No," Odalia laughed. "Babies are just small."

"Are you sure it's not a doll?"

Odalia shook her head. "Would you like to check?" The children nodded eagerly. "Hold your arms out for mama and be gentle."

The children did just that. "We can hold it, we can hold it. We won't drop it!"

Alador shushed them quietly. "Inside voices, the baby's sleeping."

His wife slowly laid the baby across both the twins' laps. For a minute they just stared at her in complete silence until Amity adjusted herself in her sleep. The twins gasped in surprise.

Now satisfied that the baby was, in fact, _not_ a doll they had questions. "Can it do magic?

"She's too little to do magic," Alador explained.

The twins beamed. " _We_ can do magic mama!" They boasted. "What's it called?"

" _Her_ name is Amity"

The name thoroughly stumped the pair, they couldn't seem to get it to come out right no matter how hard they tried. "Amtee, Ami-tree? Ama-mitty? Mamitty? Mitty? Mitty! Mittens!"

" _Am-ity"_ His wife enunciated.

Emira and Edric shook their heads. "Mittens is better," they insisted. "Hello Mittens!"

"Why's Mitten's got a hat on Mama?" Edric asked. "Is she cold?

"Mitten's can't be cold," Emira interjected. "the fire's on." She then plucked the little beanie off her sister's head and the two year old's' eyes once again went wide with surprise.

"Mittens got no green Mama, it looks funny!" Edric laughed.

"Why's it red? Is Mittens mad? Is that why?" Asked Emira curiously.

Odalia's smile twitched, it was only for a fraction of a second but Alador noticed. "Your sister was born that way. Her hair will change once she's older. Now put her hat back on please Emira darling."

All in all things were going remarkably well and Alador had just begun to allow himself to relax when out of nowhere the twins decided it would be an excellent idea to poke at Amity's eyes and all hell broke loose.

It was a while before they could get everyone to stop crying. When asked to explain themselves the twins stated they "just wanted to see what would happen."

Looking back on it, Alador realized this was an excellent indicator of what the siblings' relationship would be like as they grew older.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had trouble figuring out how to write Alador. The general consensus is that he’s not as bad as Odalia but still a bad parent. I hope I was able to reflect this properly. The Blight’s seem slightly nicer in this chapter but that’s only because I couldn’t handle them being complete assholes to a literal baby. Also...
> 
> IMMA SUCKER FOR THE HEADCANON THAT BOILING ISLES WITCHES CAN AND DO PURR!!!!  
> .  
> .  
> . 
> 
> Please review....

**Author's Note:**

> {Before anyone even thinks about out going off about how it’s impossible for two ladies to make a baby together, I’ve got one word for you: MAGIC}
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please let me know what you think. I’d really appreciate some reviews!


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